Health Trust rapped by Ombudsman over failure to communicate ‘do not resuscitate' order with patient's family
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Streeting: We are doing everything we can to minimise patient harm during strike
Wes Streeting has said 'we are doing everything we can to minimise' patient harm as thousands of doctors go on strike over pay. A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the British Medical Association (BMA) manning picket lines across the country. The Health Secretary condemned the strike as 'reckless' and said the Government would not allow the BMA to 'hold the country to ransom'. Asked about the risk of patient harm, he told the PA news agency on Friday: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. 'We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. 'What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. 'They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors – working lives – and that's why I think this is such reckless action. 'This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year.' Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: 'When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. 'That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action..' It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. 'So the difference this time is the NHS has put a huge effort in to try and get back on its feet,' he said. 'As everybody's been aware, we've had a really tough period, and you really feel colleagues on the ground, local clinical leaders, clinical operational colleagues etc, really pulling together to try and get the NHS back on its feet. 'And we also learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm to patients and disruption to patients was much broader than the original definitions. So we've decided to say it needs to be a broader definition. We can't just focus on that small subset of care. 'Colleagues in the service have tried to keep as much going as humanly possible as well, and the early signs are that that's been achieved so far, but it is early doors. 'In the end, capacity will have to be constrained by the numbers of people we've actually got who do just turn up for work, and what that means in terms of safe provision, because the thing that colleagues won't compromise is safety in the actual delivery. But it does look like people have really heard that. 'They're really pulling together to maximise the range of services possible.' Asked about further strikes, he said: 'It is possible. I would hope not. I would hope after this, we'll be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue. 'But if we are in this with a six month mandate, we could be doing this once a month for the next next six months, but we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.' Asked why he was not willing to bump pay from what the BMA calculates is £18 an hour to £22 per hour, Mr Streeting told broadcasters: 'I think the public can see, and other NHS staff can see the willingness this Government showed from day one coming into office to try and deal with what had been over a decade of failure on behalf of the previous government, working with resident doctors to improve their pay and to improve the NHS. 'That's why resident doctors had a 28.9% pay award, and that's why the disruption they are inflicting on the country is so unnecessary and so irresponsible.' He said patients, particularly those who end up waiting a long time for care due to strikes, 'do come to harm, and however much the BMA try and sugarcoat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's minds every day, which is, 'do no harm'.' On whether strikes are going to become the 'new normal', he added: 'As I've said before, the BMA have had a 28.9% pay award from this Government, and we were willing to go further to help on some of the working conditions that doctors face. 'That offer of joint working, that partnership approach, that hasn't gone away, but it does take two to tango, and I hope that the BMA will reflect very carefully on the disruption they are inflicting on patients, the pressures they're putting on their colleagues, and the circumstances in which they are doing so – a 28.9% pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them. 'Those are not grounds for strike action.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage… 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union took out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wanted to 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the union had been expecting more pay for doctors. He said: 'Where we were last year when we started the pay campaign, we were down a third on our pay compared to 2008. 'So you've got last year's pay offer which did indeed move us towards (pay restoration), but Wes Streeting himself said that pay restoration is a journey, not an event, implying that there would be further pay restoration to come, and we were expecting our pay to be restored in full – that's our campaign's goal. 'We got part way there, but then that came to a halt this year – we've only had an offer that brings us up, just to catch up with inflation.' Asked what it would take for doctors to go back to work, he said the BMA needed to see 'a clear, guaranteed pathway' to pay restoration. He added that 'it's very disappointing to see a Labour Government taking such a hard line against trade unions'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tragedy as 9-year-old dies in front of horrified families in Hersheypark incident
A 9-year-old child died tragically in an incident at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Thursday night. 'Tonight, a nine-year-old guest was tragically lost at The Boardwalk at Hersheypark. From the moment our lifeguard team recognized that a child was in distress, they performed an immediate rescue, followed by continuous, coordinated life-saving efforts by our lifeguards, on-site first responders, and medical personnel,' the park's CEO, John Lawn, said in a statement. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where despite the 'tireless efforts' of medical professionals, the victim 'did not recover.' The specific details of the child's death have not been made public. The Boardwalk attraction at Hersheypark is made up of a wave pool, a lazy river, and numerous water slides. The park has stated that it is cooperating with authorities and conducting its own review of the incident. According to Dauphin County authorities, first responders were called to the scene at Hersheypark's first aid center around 6:45 pm. Lawn added in his statement, 'Every family who visits Hersheypark, please know this: your safety and well‑being drive every decision we make.' 'We will thoroughly investigate this tragedy and honor the memory of this young guest by continuing our focus on ensuring the safety of our guests at Hersheypark,' he added. Hersheypark opened in 1906 as an amusement park for the employees of the chocolate giant. The park underwent rapid expansion in the 1970s, which continued through the 2000s, including the development of a waterpark feature. The Boardwalk opened in 2007 as the park's most expensive investment at a cost of $21 million. Two new attractions were added in 2018. The park is located 95 miles west of Philadelphia and 15 miles east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is among the most visited theme parks in the U.S. The park is operated by Hersheypark, a division of Hersheypark Entertainment and Resorts Company.
Daily Mirror
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Striking doctors accuse Wes Streeting of a 'slap in the face' of trade unions
Angry doctors on picket lines demand Government increases their pay but Health Secretary Wes Streeting refuses to budge on 'unnecessary, reckless strike action' Thousands of doctors are out on strike today in a bitter pay dispute with the Government. Resident doctors across England are walking out for five days, demanding Labour commits to pay 'restoration', after over a decade of below-inflation deals under previous Tory governments. The British Medical Association has organised main regional picket lines for around 50,00 striking doctors at NHS sites in the North East, North West, Midlands, east of England and across the South. Dr Kelly Johnson told of her anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London where she works, she said: "Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right." Speaking outside Leeds General Infirmary, paediatrics registrar Cristina Costache said: "Reducing the waiting list is a really good target but you're going to reduce the waiting list if you increase the numbers of posts, if you give better pay so the jobs don't leave for another country." Dr Ben Cowdry, posted on social media site X the crab emoji which has been adopted by a faction of resident doctors to represent not taking a backward step in their industrial dispute. He said: Today's picket at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. £22.67/hr is not an unreasonable ask. Doctors have subsidised the NHS for far too long. Perhaps Wes Streeting needs reminding that the power to stop these strikes lies squarely with the government.' Picket lines are being staged at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The BMA points to pay erosion since 2008 saying real terms salaries are down 20% since then according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The Government's preferred measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, shows average resident doctor salaries down 5% since 2008 but ministers point out they have been increasing in real terms in recent years. The latest deal for 2025/26 consisted of a 4% uplift plus £750 "on a consolidated basis" - working out as an average rise of 5.4%, before inflation. Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, said: "But the most recent pay uplift represents a 1% real terms uplift. At that rate it would take roughly 20 years to restore a 21% pay erosion. Wes Streeting said that pay restoration is a journey - we're willing to take him on that journey, but that journey is far beyond the lifespan of this Government. Dr Al-Qusous added: "'The power to stop these strikes lies squarely with this Government'. That is a direct quote from Wes Streeting when he was the shadow health secretary in 2022. That same logic and that responsibility lies with him at the moment. All he has to do is negotiate with us on pay. It doesn't have to be all in one year, it can be split over several years. We're asking for our pay to be restored. Our pay demands are only so high because our pay erosion has been so severe." Health Secretary Wes Streeting says doctors have received a 29% pay increase over the last three years, before inflation. This is because after Labour came to power it settled a dispute it inherited from the previous Tory government with a pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. However this covered a period of high inflation following the chaos of the short-lived Liz Truss government. Mr Streeting has insisted the 5.4% they received for 2025/26 is the highest in the public sector and all the Government can afford right now. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting its members over a 3.6% pay award. Mr Streeting said: "I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. "What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. "They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors - working lives - and that's why I think this is such reckless action. "This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year." It comes after NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: "When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.." It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Other NHS sites where striking doctors are gathering are the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctor's committee, said she and other medics regularly receive job offers from hospitals Down Under. Ryan, a paediatric trainee working in Nottingham, told the Mirror: ' Australia sends me messages on social media saying 'come and work for us — we'd pay you better, you'd work less hours and the weather is better.' We have had new doctors, coming through, make those choices to leave because it's very stressful in the NHS but also because our pay is just not competitive and it's a global market for doctors.' Ryan, 45, continued: 'The problem is it's the patients who will miss out — we're already short staffed, we can't afford to lose a single more doctor to oversees work. What we need is for the Government to recognise the value of doctors, to reverse our pay erosion, actually come and talk and give us an offer and then I wouldn't need to be out here on strike, I could be back at work.' NHS leaders are urging the public to keep coming forward for care during five-day walkout and to turn up for appointments unless informed it has been cancelled. Charities warn industrial action will inevitably lead to cancellations in treatment and negatively impact patients, particularly those with less survivable cancers like lung, liver, and brain cancer. One person posted on social media site X - formerly Twitter - told how his elderly mum's appointment for today had been postponed He said: 'She's been waiting 18 months in agony and unable to walk. Is it in your code of ethics for her to be lying in pain until the new appt in February? I'd sack the lot of you… I tell you what if you don't like it go and get another job, stop being so cruel to people in desperate need of help, who have no quality of life while waiting for care.' It comes on the day other NHS workers followed resident doctors in rejecting the Government's pay deal, in a move that could lead to strikes further down the line. The GMB union said its thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. It has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, added: "We await his reply with interest." The GMB represents about 50,000 health workers including 20,000 in the ambulance service.
